Wine writer turned winery owner Şeyla Ergenekon and winemaker husband Çağatay cultivate organic grapes on the Gallipoli Peninsula. There they concentrate on French varieties
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Hailing from some of Turkey's most easterly vineyards in Elazığ, Öküzgözü is the number one planted wine grape in Turkey. As demonstrated in my
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This month the #winophiles are exploring the Côtes du Rhône. You can view the preview here. Originally I was going to pass on this
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I stumbled across Kayra's Versus Viognier some years ago in a charming Greek fish restaurant here in Istanbul. Despite the recent surge of Viognier's
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I generally try to bring attention to wineries in Turkey that champion native grapes. However, some of the wineries here that focus on international
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For this month's #WinePW, host Gwendolyn from Wine Predator has invited us all to Re/Consider Harvest: How will global warming change what we eat,
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I've been holding onto my notes of these two Saranta Chateau Murou Chardonnay wines for a while now. My hope was that I could
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Mersin, along Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast, brings to mind beaches and resorts. Not so much wine. And to be fair, only a very few
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Continuing my COVID quarantine virtual traveling down memory lane with Austria. I've already (re)visited Austria with my post about Steiermark. This time around I'm
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Located in the northern reaches of Turkey's Aegean region, Selendi Şarapları prides itself on its many red wines. I, however, vastly prefer their whites.
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Kösetevek is a "new" grape; or more accurately, newly reinvigorated. The grape comes from Elazığ in the east of Turkey where it has been
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My journey to rosé progresses slowly. I still approach most pink wines with trepidation and distrust. However, last summer during a visit to Amadeus
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This month the #winophiles are embarking on a no holds barred exploration of the Loire Valley. Lead by Jill at L'Accasion, whose original invitation
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About an hour's drive outside Izmir, arriving at Nif Bağları gives you the feeling of having found a desert oasis. Located off an unmarked,
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Despite the ever growing number of native white grape varieties in Turkey, Chardonnay along with Sauvignon Blanc remain very popular. Chardonnay here went through
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Just because the weather has turned hot and summery does not mean red wine lovers should despair of not comfortably drinking red wines! Many
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The Turkish wine industry remains largely isolated. I still spend a lot of time saying "Yes, Turkey makes wine. Turkey has been making wine
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On Turkey's Bozcaada shelters several wineries from the strong winds that sweep across the island. A mix of native and international grapes grow here.
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One good thing to have come out of the Corona pandemic is that WSET now allows students to take the levels 1 and 2
Read MoreAs summer heats up Istanbul I remember with some fondness the bone chilling cold when I visited Graz a few years ago. I try
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I'm one of those annoying people who has to touch everything when they go through clothing and housewares stores. Although I am certainly trying
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Certainly we live in strange times now. I was one of those naive people who thought, or at least hoped, we'd achieve normalcy by
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[caption id="attachment_14586" align="alignright" width="300"] At Cinque with Baby[/caption] For most people Greece, especially Athens, means ancient gods, lots of marble columns, islands, and maybe gyros.
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I, like many people, have had my spring/summer travel plans interrupted by COVID-19. In May I was going to return to Budapest. I've been
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It has been so long since I've been to Moldova that I don't even remember what year it was. 2009? Maybe 2010? For a
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[caption id="attachment_14549" align="alignright" width="300"] Park in Bad Homburg[/caption] As part of my ongoing meandering down memory lane, I can across a bunch of pictures from
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[caption id="attachment_14489" align="alignleft" width="300"] Chreli Abano sulfur baths[/caption] Georgia is a perennial favorite destination of mine. I like to go at least once every other
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While I have been extremely lucky during this COVID pandemic, in that I have neither been sick and have kept my job; it is
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I continued my online wine tasting series last Friday with one of my favorite Turkish grapes, Öküzgözü. Öküzgözü wasn't always a favorite of mine. In fact
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Sauvignon Blanc enjoys great popularity in Turkey. It, along with Chardonnay, are not only the two most popular white wines here; they're even more
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For my next online tasting, I tackled what is probably the most popular native white grape in Turkey: Narince. I went a little overboard
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I've had a couple few Juhfark wines in the past. But I think I'd never actually tasted Juhfark until this bottle of Fekete Pince
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My foray so far into Slovenian wine has been limited but highly rewarding. I first visited Ljubljana with a dual purpose in mind: Christmas
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After the Bornova Misketi taste along went so well I moved on to one of my favorite Turkish black grapes, Kalecik Karası. Not only
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A few years ago I started offering monthly wine tasting events out of my apartment. Focusing on Turkish wine, I used these not only
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I recently gave an online taste along about the grape Bornova Misketi. While the trend has turned to making dry wines with this grape,
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I don't usually celebrate Rosé Day, pink wine not being a favorite of mine. However, this year the intermittent bright spring weather in Istanbul
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I recently read an article in Forbes by the great wine writer Dame Wine about British sparkling wine producer, Nyetimber. While I had the absolute
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So. Canadian wine, eh? Although in this case I suppose I should say "oui" as today's post is about Quebecois wine. My family is
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The Boğazkere grape comes from Diyarbakır in Turkey's farthest east vineyards. Commercial wineries do not exist in Diyarbakır. Wineries around the country either own
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Assyrtiko. The most iconic of Greek grapes immediately brings to mind images of Santorini, the distinctive vines, and the smell of the sea. Assyrtiko
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From one of the most recognizable names in Turkish wine comes the Turasan Seneler Cabernet Merlot Syrah blend. The Turasan Seneler line includes many
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Spring has finally spring in Istanbul. We don't have a lot of green in this city so every tender spring bud is a precious
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I know what you're thinking. "Wait, did you say Maui?!" Indeed I did. Kula is a white wine from Maui Wine, a winery located
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Last October Istanbites and I finally made it to Avşa island to visit Alp Törüner and his winery Büyülübağ. A lovely island in the
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Porta Caeli, on the Gallipoli Peninsula, is a luxury wine brand that tries to model itself after Bordeaux. The winery produces several series including
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Turkish winery Sevilen has winemaking facilities in both Mürefte and Aydın. They also have vineyards in several locations including Mürefte, Denizli, and across Anatolia.
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One of the world of wine's "everything old is new again" biggest topics must be skin-contact white wine. Call it skin-contact white wine, amber
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Last summer, Istanbites and I visited Garova Vineyards and I wrote about a couple of the red wines the winery produces. Now it's time
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[caption id="" align="alignright" width="302"] From oesterreichwein.at[/caption] Whether you call it Welschriesling, Laški Rizling, Olaszrizling, Graševina, Riesling Italico, or anything else, what does not change is
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Gordias winery, located outside Turkey's capital Ankara, is mostly known for its red wines. However, Canan, the one woman show runner there, does make
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Last year, Kırklareli-based winery Vino Dessera debuted a new line of wines. The Vino Dessera Entrika line up includes three wines: a red, rosé,
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I've been digging through older tasting notes, trying to pull out wines from wineries I've neglected, and stumbled across notes for the Kastro Tireli
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Located in Turkey’s Thrace, just a stone’s throw from several other wineries on the Trakya Bağ Rotası (Thracian Wine Route), Saranta produces quality wines
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Hidden away in the unwelcoming landscape of Turkey's north-eastern Aegean are the organic vineyards of Selendi Şarapları. The arid heat of Akhısar is not where
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These are odd times. You don't need me to tell you that. Social distancing, self-isolation, working from home etc have all led to an
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For this month's Wine Pairing Weekend, Nicole at Somm's Table invited us to write about wines from the ancient world. People often forget to
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Located over a two and a half hour drive from Lebanon's storied Bekaa Valley, Gaston Hochar established Chateau Musar in 1930. While the winery
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Akın Gürbüz grew up among grape vines. In his childhood he worked the harvest in his family's vineyards. They did not make wine but
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The twenty-first century may still be fairly young but the wine world has already been rocked by a movement as big as it is
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Müteşekkir is a new line from Chamlija, featuring a Pinot Noir, a red blend, and a white blend. Despite being an entry level wine
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Living in Turkey I'm pretty well accustomed to outsiders' surprise that this is a winemaking country. Every once in a while, I get treated
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Named for its elevation on the Güney Plateau, Sevilen’s 900 series includes three wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Fumé Blanc, and Petit Verdot. At 900 meters elevation
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Suvla Wines, on the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula offers a huge range of wines. Currently the winery produces some 12 or 13 series.
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Öküzgözü Şarapçılık's name creates a bit of confusion. It is the only winery in Turkey named not after a family name or a vineyard
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Over the last couple years I've visited Greece once or twice a year. However, I have to make it to Santorini. The most famous
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As my wine tastings wind down, sometimes a few of my regulars stick around for a chat. More often than not when that happens,
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As close as I am to Armenia, living in Turkey, I still haven't visited. A pity as I hear Yeravan is nice. And of
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Vinolus Winery makes possibly my favorite Kalecik Karası wine. Therefore, it came as a great surprise to me whenI realized that I hadn't posted
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Barel Vineyards was founded in 1997 with the aim of adding a little bit more taste to the life by the Akın family. While
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Nestled in the sunny slopes of Megara, just 60 km from bustling Athens, lies Ktima Evharis. In 1992, owners Eva-Maria Boehme and Harry Antony began
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There's some argument here whether or not the grape Karalahna means 'black pumpkin' (per Wine Grapes) or if it's a derivative of the Turkish
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At the end of November during Turkey's annual Sommeliers' Selection event, I had the chance to participate in a vertical tasting of two wines
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At Gotsa winery, wine is a family tradition that founder Beka Gotsadze is determined to preserve. Located 4200 feet above sea level in the hills
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In a country that straddles two continents
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Wine writer turned winery owner Şeyla Ergenekon and winemaker husband Çağatay cultivate organic grapes on the Gallipoli Peninsula. There they concentrate on French varieties
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For over 40 years the Molnár family has cultivate vineyards on the southern slopes of the Örsi hill in Badascony. Now run by a mother-daughter
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Many moons ago I joined my very first wine club at Virginia-based winery Doukenie Winery. "the Bazaco family: a family-run winery built on courage, adventure
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Taking its name from the Syriac word for “peace,” Shiluh is Turkey's largest commercial Assyrian-style winery. Based in Midyat about 100 km from Mardin
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Architect and musician (respectively) turned winemakers Bilge Benisü Öğünlü and Reha Öğünlü make wine they way they like it. After spending more than 15 years
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Recently I sat down (virtually anyway!) with Lori from Dracaena Wines and Exploring the Wine Glass to talk about Turkish wine. It was such
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Based in Elmalı, Antalya, Likya is one of Turkey's few Mediterranean wineries. Run by brothers Burak and Doruk Özkan, Likya's vineyards sit at an
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Petit Verdot blends well with a number of Turkish grapes. In addition to this Öküzgözü blend by Gülor, it also does well with Karasakız.
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Kırklareli-based winery Arcadia is not alone in cultivating Sauvignon Blanc. This French varietal maintains a spot as a major favorite here in Turkey. What
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I've read a lot of #WinePW posts but for one reason or another never managed to get my act together enough to participate. However,
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The Hungaria Grand Cuvée Brut sparkling wine, or peszgő as it's called in Hungary is a delightfully affordable sparkling wine. I discovered this wine at
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Established in 2002 by wine and beer importer Seyit Karagözoğlu, Paşaeli is, in my opinion, one of Turkey’s most valuable wineries. More than just creating quality
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Yapıncak is arguably Turkey's most up and coming native white grape right now. As a general champion of lesser-known Turkish grapes, Yapıncak has been
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I do not count driving among my core skills. If I'm being honest, it's barely a peripheral skill. Essentially, the best one can say
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Rıfat Şekerdil, owner and winemaker of Öküzgözü Şarapçılık, has been a fixture in central Izmir since his father opened a small winery in the
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What Ali and Melis Emin intended as a future retirement project turned into full-blown careers. Located on the same grounds as the Emins's vast
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In the next coming weeks I'm moving apartments. I'm really hoping to be in the new place before Christmas. The tree and decorations will
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I used to feel rather agnostic about Cabernet Franc. Wines left me with a feeling of “meh.” Over the last few years grape has
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An embarrassingly long time ago, I received two vintages of the Büyülübağ Shah from Turkey's Oenotrian Wine Club. The bottles belonged to a collection
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One of Turkey's most widely available native grapes is Bornova Misketi. It is, however, not the only type of Muscat grape to be found
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Early in the twentieth century Turkish winemakers looked to Europe for pretty much everything. Not only were machines, corks, barrels, and even bottles coming
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Professor Dr. Y. Sabit Ağaoğlu entered the world of wine through his study (and eventual resurrection) of the Kalecik Karası grape. However, that is
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I drink a heck of a lot of wine on a pretty regular basis. A few years I started keeping a spreadsheet to track
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Since I am back in Athens, I thought it a good time to dig out some old notes on Greek wines I've drunk. Because
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Each time I begin to explore a country's wine; there has been one wine that sticks in my mind as the one that made
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